Trump has given a blank cheque to immigration officials in their fight against migrants’ rights.

Earlier this month he is reported to have told Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials to stop asylum seekers from crossing the border. This is illegal under both US and international law.

This comes as armed militias patrol the border to look for migrants attempting the lethal crossing. They claim to be working in coordination with the CBP.

Militarising

Some of those protesting against Trump in London last year (Pic: Guy Smallman)

And Trump and the Department of Homeland Security are intent on further militarising the southern border.

The US army is reportedly on the cusp of granting approval for troops to take a more active role there. In particular, the Trump administration wants them to build and run migrant detention camps near the border. People resisting Trump’s border regime are being targeted.

A judge and a former court officer face federal charges for allegedly helping a migrant to evade an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

The two could be facing up to 20 years in jail.

Trump has consistently sought to create a crisis at the border. Earlier in April he was forced to back down from a plan to close the border between the US and Mexico completely.

Much of his attacks are grandstanding to solidify his base before the 2020 presidential elections. But they have an effect.

The racist poison drips from the top. And it flows down to groups of armed men roaming the US border to deny people fleeing violence and poverty the chance of a better life.

Tens of thousands have died trying to make the crossing from Mexico into the US.